All Roads Lead to Rome
This is part of an article in the new look Catholic Herald this weekend entitles "Why Catholicism matters", which I thought was very well said: All roads lead to Rome: that age old saying is as true today as it always was when pilgrims walked in droves from Canterbury to the Eternal City. Next time you watch a news bulletin or browse headlines online, try counting how many of the stories touch on the Catholic Church. Ebola? Yes, countless Catholic doctors and nurses are fighting the epidemic in West Africa. Protests in Hong Kong? Absolutely: Catholics are leading figures in he pro-democracy movement. ISIS? Of course: their leader boasts that his ragged troop will one day march on Rome. What accounts for the Church's wide influence? Simply its size, critics say. It's true that the numbers are staggering. There are an estimated 1,228 billion Catholics worldwide, served by 414,313 priests, 42,104 permanent deacons, 55,314 religious brothers and 702,529 female re...